Leśno | |
|---|---|
Village | |
.jpg) Panorama of Leśno with the historic church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross | |
  Leśno | |
| Coordinates:53°56′58″N17°42′0″E / 53.94944°N 17.70000°E /53.94944; 17.70000 | |
| Country |  Poland |
| Voivodeship | Pomeranian |
| County | Chojnice |
| Gmina | Brusy |
| Population | 669 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Vehicle registration | GCH |
Leśno[ˈlɛɕnɔ] is avillage in the administrative district ofGmina Brusy, withinChojnice County,Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland.[1] It lies approximately 8 km (5 mi) north ofBrusy, 30 km (19 mi) north ofChojnice, and 77 km (48 mi) south-west of the regional capitalGdańsk. The village is situated on the shores of Leśno Górne and Lesno Dolne lakes.
In the near vicinity of Lake Leśno Dolne is an archaeological site called Kamienne Kręgi (English: "Stone Circles") which contains numerous barrows and cists. Some are dated back as far as the Bronze Age. Other, later, barrows are dated back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, and are connected with Gothic settlement.[2]
The village of Leśno first appears in the records for the year 1342, in whichWinrich von Kniprode, master of theTeutonic Knights, granted it to one "Dytryk" for services to be rendered.[3] Leśno was a royal village of thePolish Crown, administratively located in the Tuchola County in thePomeranian Voivodeship.[4] In theFirst Partition of Poland, Leśno, like all of the surrounding region, was annexed by theKingdom of Prussia. FollowingWorld War I, in 1918, Poland regained independence, and from 1919 to 1939 it was included as a part of theSecond Polish Republic.
After the Germaninvasion of Poland at the start ofWorld War II in 1939 it was part ofReichsgau Danzig-West Prussia. During theGerman occupation, thePolish resistance organization Gryf Pomorski (English: "Pomeranian Griffin") maintained a radio station named "Budnik" ("Alarm Clock") in the nearby hamlet ofWidno.[5] On 9 February 1944, 64Jewish women were executed by Nazi forces in Leśno.[6] They had been brought from a subcamp of theStutthof concentration camp inDziemiany and were murdered at an abandoned Polish farm, whose owners had previously beenexpelled.[7]
Leśno has long been considered a part of theKashubian culture. During theKashubian diaspora, many families from Leśno such as the Bambenek (Bambeneks) and the Stoltmann (Sztoltmans), Spierewka (Sprouffske), Bielawa emigrated to the area ofWinona, Minnesota in theUnited States, beginning in the late 1850s.[8]
The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Leśno dates back as far as 1643 and has the highest wooden tower in Poland. First mentioned in 1534 as the church ofSaint Katarzyna, the historical workAd Historiam Ecclesiasticam Pomeraniae states that it was refounded and given its present name by QueenMarie Louise Gonzaga of Poland circa 1642.[9]
Miraculously, the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross escaped major damage during the First and Second World Wars. Indeed, many of the antique fittings have been preserved and can be viewed today. In keeping with its architectural and cultural significance, the church has received careful restoration and renovations. In 1975 the altars, pulpit, and choral area were renewed. In 1993–1994, the roof and tower coverings were renewed.
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